Game apparatus.



PATENTED JULY 2, 1907.

G. S. & D. H. TALBERT.

GAME APPARATUS.

PPLIoATIoN FILED JAN. 24. 19o?.

@am M5671? 'PATENTED JULY 2, 1907. (LS.A & D. H. TALBERT.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLmATIoN FILED JAN. 24. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

By l

A TTORNE V5 THE Hemus PETERS co9, wAsHmaroN, D. c.

. CHARLES S. TALBERT AND DANIEL H.

TALBERT, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Speceatonpf Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1907.

Application filed January 24, 1907*. Serial No. 353,921,

To .all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES S. TALBERT and DAN- IEL II. TALBERT, citizens of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to game apparatus of that character utilizing an alley, balls, and objects adjacent one end of the alley adapted to be overturned by the skillful manipulation of the balls.

The object ol' the invention is to provide a movably supported striker disposed above the alley and adapted .to be propelled by a ball rolled along the alley.

A further object is to provide a series of objects disposed within the range of the striker and adapted to be overturned when any one or more of them is contacted thereby.

A still further object is to provide means'whereby the oscillation of the striker subsequent to its actuation Ycan be speedily stopped so that another ball can be directed there-against.

Another object is to provide means to prevent the balls from rebounding on to the alley after rolling longitudinally thereof.

A further object is to provide simple and efficient means whereby a player at one end of the alley can quickly reset the overturned objects at the other end of the alley.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of the invention.

ln said drawings: Figure l is a central longitudinal section through the alley, the front end thereof, which is of ordinary construction, being removed; Fig. 2 is plan view of that portion of the alley embodying the present improvements, the striker being shown in position immediately subsequent to its actuation by a ball; and Fig. 3 is a section on line fc-x, Fig. 2.

Referring to the ligures by characters of reference, l is the body of the alley the same having upstanding side walls 2 between which is disposed the floor 3 of the alley which terminates at a point removed from the rear wall Al. A space 5 constituting the receiving compartment is formed between the lloor 3 and wall 4 and is adapted to receive the balls rolled along the alley. The bottom of this receiving compartment 5 is inclined as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 so as to direct the balls into a retin-n gutter 6 arranged longitudinally along one side of the alley. It is of course understood that if preferred one of these gutters may be located at each side of the alley. .As shown in Fig. l the rear portion of the floor of the alley is inclined as at 7 so as to positively direct the balls into the compartment 5 after they have passed the ridge 8.

A standard 9 extends upward from the rear wall 4 and carries a forwardly extending arm l0 provided' at its end with a hanger Il.

A flexible iod 13 of steel or other suitable material is connected to arm l0 by means of a short cord I4, chain,

swing in any direction. Il desired any suitable means such as a frame l2 may be disposed around the rod I3 to limit its movement. A striker l5, preferably in the form of a ball, is lixedly connected to the lower end of rod 13 and when in its normal position is supported above and close to the center of the ridge 8.

An opening 16 is formed within the bottom of the alley directly below the normal position of the striker andseated within this opening is a lioor section 17 having its upper face conforming, and normally alining with the upper surface of the floor of the alley. This section 17 when in its normal position may be supported upon shoulders lS and pivotally mounted beneath said section is a lifting cam 19 from which extends an arm 20. A rod, .cord or other connecting device 2l is attached to this arm 20 and toan arm 22 at one end of a rod 23 rotatably mounted adjacent the front end of the alley. A manipulating lever 24 is connected to rod 23 and by means thereof the cam 19 can be actuated to lift the section l7 so as to act as a buffer to stop the oscillation of the striker l5 subsequent to the actuation thereof.

A deck 25 is arranged above the rear wall 4 and the adjoining portions of the side walls and the front edge of this deck is formed concentric with the rod 13 when the same is in its normal position. An indicating board 26 depends from the front edge of this deck and the distance between this board and the inclined portion 7 of the floor 3 is ample to allow the balls to pass thereunder and into compartment 5.

Formed within the deck 25 adjacent its front or curved edge is a series of sockets 27 arranged along a line concentric with the curved edge of the deck and each of these sockets is adapted to receive a boss or projection 28 upon the bottom of a pin 29.v These pins when upstanding are all located within the range of the striker l5 and each pin carries a letter' or other character corresponding with a character thereunder upon the indicating board 26.

Mounted within the sides of the apparatus and close to and beneath the deck 25 is a rock shaft 30 from which extends a series of fingers 3l equal in number to the pins 29. The free ends of these fingers are connected by cords 32 with the centers of the projections 28 so that when the fingers are swung downward said projections will be drawn into the sockets 27 and the pins swung into upright positions. A spring 33 selves or other suitable device whereby the rod is free to to hold the ngers 3l normally raised and when they are in this position the cords 32 are slack and any one or more oi the pins tree to fall over when struck. An arm 34 extends downward from one end ot the rock shaft and has an operating cord 35 extending therefrom and around a pulley 36. This cord extends to a point adjacent the iront oi the alley where it is connected to an actuating lever 37. lt is oi course understood that, as shown in Fig. 2, the arm 34, pulley 3G and cord 35 are arranged outside the wall 2 so that they will,not be contacted by the balls as they enter compartment 5.

A cushion 38 is arranged upon the rear wall 4 for the purpose oi stopping the balls and reducing the noise incident thereto, and in order that the rebounding balls may be prevented from moving on to the alley iioor a guard has been provided. This guard consists of a plate 39 which is hinged to the lower face oi deck 25 and has a plurality oi slots 40 in which the Alingers 3l work. The lower edge oi this guard plate is provided with a soft covering 4l adapted to be contacted by the balls. A stop 42 is suspended from the deck and prevents the guard plate 39 from swinging forward trom its normal position. A spring 43 serves to hold the guard plate yieldingly against its stop.

The pins 29 as shown have the appearance oi ordinary ten-pins but it is to be understood that it preferred they may be oi other shapes and instead oi mounting them in the manner shown the pins may be hingedly connected or in act mounted in any manner which would enable them to be knocked over independently and simultaneously reset.

In playing the game herein described the lever 37 is first pulled forward so as to pull downward on the fingers 3l and set up the pins in the manner described. A ball 44 is then rolled along the alley so as to hit the striker l5. If the striker is hit squarely upon the iront portion thereof it will be propelled forward and strike the middle pin 29 which has been indicated by the letter C. Ii however the striker is given a glancing blow it will be deiiected to one side or the other and will strike a desired pin it the proper skill is exercised. Each time the striker has been actuated in the manner described it returns by gravity to its normal position. By pulling on the lever 24 the butter l7 can be raised so as to contact with the striker and prevent movement thereoi. The buffer will return by gravity to its normal position when the cam I9 is released therefrom and another ball can then be rolled down the alley`and against the striker. The balls after leaving the striker come into contact with the covering 4l on guard plate 39 and press said plate backward against the tension oi spring 43 and then move into the compartment 5. Rebounding oi the balls on to the alley is therefore prevented. The balls then roll torward to the iront end o the alley along the inclined gutter G.

By providing the characters on the indicating board 26 the player can readily determine which pins have been overturned. The game can be played by allowing each player a certain number of balls with which to overturn all oi the pins or, ii preferred, the pins may be oi difierent values and the winner oi the `game will be the one knocking over the pins oi the greatest values.

What is claimed is:

1. In a game apparatus the combination with an alley and a plurality of movable objects disposed adjacent thereto; o1 an oscillatory striker disposed above the alley and disposed to strike any one of said objects, and movable means for stopping the movement of the striker upon its return to its initial position.

2. In a game apparatus the combination with a striker, means for movably supporting the striker to permit oscillation thereof in any direction and means for directing an actuating device against the striker; of manually operated means for holding the striker against oscillation.

3. In a game apparatus the combination with a striker, means for loosely supporting the striker to permit oscillation thereof in any direction, and means for directing an actuating object against the striker; of a manually operated buffer adjacent and adapted to contact with the striker.

4. In a game apparatus the combination with a loosely supported striker; of a buffer disposed below the striker, and manually operated means for lifting the buffer into contact with the striker.

5. In a game apparatus the combination with an alley having a movable section; ot' a loosely supported striker above said section, and means for actuating said section to contact with the striker.

6. In a game apparatus the combination with an alley having a movable section therein; of an oscillatory striker supported above said section, and manually operated means for lifting said section into contact with the striker.

'i'. In a game apparatus the combination with an oscillatory rod and a striker supported thereby; of an alley extending under the striker, a'movable section within the alley and below the striker, means for shifting said section into contact with the striker, and means for centering the striker above said section.

8. In a game apparatus the combination with an alley havinga ball receivingcompartment at one end, and a deck above the compartment; of an oscillatory striker supported above the alley and below the deck, a plurality of objects mounted upon the deck within range of and adapted to be overturned by the. striker, and means for simultaneously setting up the objects.

E). In a game apparatus the combination with an alley,'a deck above one end thereof, there being a ball receiving compartment beneath the deck, and a return gutter extending irom the compartment; ot' a plurality of objects -movably mounted upon the deck, and a device supported above the deck and disposed to be actuated by a ball upon the alley for striking any one of said objects, said compartment being disposed to direct the ball into the return gutter after striking said device.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto aixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES S. TALBERT. DANIEL I-I. '.LALBERT.

Witnesses 1 JOHN W. RoBBrNs, WM. T. RnsirussnN. 

